A THREE-year plan putting the health of children and young people under the spotlight has been launched countywide through an ambitious partnership. The Young People s Plan will aim to improve the emotional and physical health and general well-being of ch

A THREE-year plan putting the health of children and young people under the spotlight has been launched countywide through an ambitious partnership.

The Young People's Plan will aim to improve the emotional and physical health and general well-being of children and young people.

It follows a major survey of youngsters, their parents and carers to find out exactly what they want from their health and education providers and the problems they face.

The plan is being run by Cambridgeshire Children and Young People's Strategic Partnership which includes East Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Primary Care Trust and Cambridgeshire County Council among others.

Through the survey, they discovered youngsters were concerned about reducing stress and wanting more people available that they can trust and talk to about their problems.

They were concerned about drugs and alcohol and wanted more opportunities and better access to sports and recreation facilities.

The partnership found that, in general, Cambridgeshire has a good record of health and education in schools but needs to reduce childhood obesity and cut the numbers of young people who smoke and drink alcohol on a regular basis.

It found there are comparatively high numbers of 15-year-olds in East Cambridgeshire who say they smoke regularly.

There is a need for accessible sports facilities outside schools, the survey revealed, including provision of indoor soft play areas for young children.

Introducing the plan, Cambridgeshire county councillor, Shona Johnstone, lead member of children and young people's services with the partnership said: "The partnership brings together many organisations involved in delivering a wide range of services in Cambridgeshire and reflects our collective determination to improve outcomes for children and young people.

"In producing our plan we have looked at a wide range of statistics and performance indicators to identify where needs are greatest and where our efforts should be focused.

"Our partnership has children and young people at its heart, parents and carers and our visions and aspirations cannot be met without effective sharing.